Andrea Nahles, parliamentary group leader of Germany's social democratic SPD party, and Hamburg's mayor and interim SPD leader Olaf Scholz stand in front of their party's logo as they give a statement in Berlin, before counting starts of the ballots of their party members on whether or not to join a new coalition government with German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives. Some 460,000 members of the SPD are holding the referendum on whether to back a hard-fought accord for a government with the conservative CDU/CSU union.

The results to be announced on Sunday, Mar. 4, 2018 could either end a political stalemate in the country five months after inconclusive elections, or sink it into deeper crisis.

Image 5 of 5: 5 / 5Andrea Nahles (L), parliamentary group leader of Germany's social democratic SPD party, and Hamburg's mayor and interim SPD leader Olaf Scholz stand in front of their party's logo as they give a statement, before counting starts of the ballots of their party members.
(Kay NIETFELD / DPA / AFP)

Image 5 of 5Andrea Nahles (L), parliamentary group leader of Germany's social democratic SPD party, and Hamburg's mayor and interim SPD leader Olaf Scholz stand in front of their party's logo as they give a statement, before counting starts of the ballots of their party members.
(Kay NIETFELD / DPA / AFP)